Fired Up Over Stuff We Did
by WarriorofLight12
Summary: fried phlegmblem awakened
1. Premonition: Invisible Ties

_**Premonition: Invisible Ties**_

The hooded figure opened their eyes. Where were they? What was going on. The hooded figure stopped for a second, to think. They were a she. She had a name. What was her name?

.

.

.

It was Robin. She thought. Robin was her name. Robin looked around the room. She was in a massive room. There was an altar ahead of her. Some strange, pale man wielding some dark form of magic was in front of the altar. She wondered what he was doing there. Robin looked around the rest of the room. Next to the pale man, there was a blue haired man she felt like she knew. Who was he?

.

.

.

No idea. She'd figure it out later. The pale man and the blue haired man were fighting, actually. The blue haired man wielded some strange looking sword, instead of magic. He flung himself wildly as he attacked, with leaping bounds and diving strikes, as the pale man levitated madly to try to stay out of reach. The blue man leapt at the pale sorcerer, slashing twice blindingly fast, as the sorcerer blocked each strike with magic wards on his hands. The impact of the blade and the ward itself sent a blast of wind, sending the blue man's cape billowing out behind him. The sorcerer fly up into the air, and launched a powerful beam down at the swordsman, as the swordsman rolled out of the way frantically. The beam itself punctured the floor, sending up cracks of stone haphazardly.

She had to do something. The swordsman was outmatched, and badly. She didn't know either side, but she felt the swordsman was probably the one in the right here. The sorcerer levitated near the ceiling, preparing a massive ball of energy. The air itself pulsated, ringing with power as the ball grew faster and faster. The sorcerer cackled maniacally, before launching it down at the swordsman.

She acted quickly, swiping her hand in the direction of the ball, and was surprised to see an energy ball of her own fly at it, crashing and creating a blinding explosion that shook the room.

.

.

When she opened her eyes, the sorcerer was staring at her from afar, and the swordsman was standing near her. He turned to her. "Thanks, Robin. Now, are you ready?

This is it!

Our final battle!  
You're one of us, Robin,  
and no "destiny" can change that.  
Now let's kill this dastard and be done with it!"

Robin blankly stared at him, deadpanning, before shrugging. "Alright." The man squinted. "Robin? Are... you feeling under the weather?" he asked, politely. She fiddled with her hood. "Feeling great. Let's kill the... dastard." The man simply responded in turn by... turning. "Right. This can't be easy for you... As you say. Let's get this over with then." He then strode off purposefully towards the magician, sword at the ready.

 _"What have I gotten myself into..."_ She asked herself, following behind, surprised to find a book in her hands, and a sword draped through her belt.

The man called out to her: "Robin, let's move. He's only gaining power as we stand here." Robin scurried up behind him, her oversized coat jostling quietly. He then thought for a second. "Buuut... we do have some time." Robin lifted an eyebrow in response. "Just a kiss then, for luck?" Robin, not really knowing whether that would be good or not, obliges and pecks him on the lips.

"Now, let's kill the fucker so we can go home already." The man grinned, clearly more relaxed. Robin thinks to herself. _"That boost to morale probably will make a definite difference."_ The pair simply make a beeline for the wizard, almost borderline sauntering as they oozed confidence.

"Now, you petulant fools, why do you resist!" The sorcerer exclaimed. "And... why is there... what's that hanging from your mouth. Is that why you've taken so long to get here? You're too busy giving each other tongue! Eugh, you disgust me!" The swordsman and Robin simply respond by charging him. The sorcerer takes flight, but the swordsman leaps up and bounces off the altar, knocking the pale man out of the air and down to Robin. Robin swipes twice with her blade, the sorcerer easily blocking and blasting at her with spasms of magical energy. Robin snarled, and then tackled the sorcerer, pinning him to the altar. The swordsman dived over as well, the two pinning the pale man to the floor, as both prepared to decapitate him. "Gah, get off me!" The sorcerer blew the both of them off with a burst of magic. The pair are launched clear into the air, flipping wildly, as Robin lands hard on her rear. The swordsman smashes clear into a pillar, breaking it some. Robin moves over to him, and shakily helps him to his feet.

"I got an idea. Hold him still." The swordsman whispered. Robin nodded, and turned to the sorcerer, before charging again. She feinted with a strike, and then instinctively ducked just in time, as the swordsman had **thrown** his sword at the sorcerer

It goes directly through, taking what little brains the sorcerer had with it. Gore spatters everywhere, Robin blinks, covering her eyes. The swordsman strode up behind her. "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, I'm sorry you had to see that. It's over now." The man walked over to Robin, and hugged her. Robin sighed, and then suddenly everything went red, and there was screaming.

 _ **End of Premonition**_

 _ **(A/N: Hey, this went through a rewrite on 5/4/18)**_


	2. Dirt Nap

_**Better places to take a nap than the ground, you know.**_

Robin lay upon... something soft. A carpet? No... not a carpet. Hair? Definitely not hair.. Maybe... grass?

Yes, that was it. It's grass. She can hear voices. There's... a kid? What's a kid doing in grass? Actually, that's redundant. Kids love grass. Actually, is that even a kid? Or is that a woman? Oh. There's also a voice. That voice sounds familiar. She wonders from where.

Robin decides to open her eyes. And she's met by an interesting sight. It's the blue haired man before, in that dream she'd just had. Maybe this was still the same dream. Maybe she'll give him another kiss... Or not. She's not really sure. The grass here is mighty comfy, and she had a nightmare. Or something

"I see you're awake now." Oh, fuck, it's definitely the blue haired man before. "Hey there." The.. girl? Yes, girl, says. The man chuckles. "There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know.

Robin offers her hand tentatively, and the man hoists her up suddenly. "You all right?" He asks. Robin blinks for a second. "Y-eah. Thank you... Chrom?" She thinks for a second, wondering where that came from. The man only smiles a wan smile. "You already know who I am?" Robin blinks. "No, actually. It just... popped into my head?"

Chrom's eyebrow raises, and he exhales quietly. "Curious. What's your name, and why are you here?" Robin visibly blanks out. For about... a solid minute. "My name's..." The two stare at each other in awkward silence. Is what would be said if Robin didn't firmly have her eyes locked on the ground. Chrom stares at her, incredulous. "You don't know your own name?"

Robin shyly begins looking around. She decides a tactical change of topic should be in order. "Uhhhm... Where am I?"

The girl suddenly chips in, with a very helpful comment. "Hey, I know this! That's called amna... an... amnesia?" She attempts to pronounce. A monstrously serious man simply chips in with a very unhelpful comment. "It's called a load of pegasus dung. You expect us to believe you remember my lord's name, but not yours?"

Robin feels herself being filled with the need to lay back down and take another nap. "It... it's the truth." She whined softly. Chrom, seizing the opportunity, takes her side. "What if it IS, true, Frederick? We just can't leave her like this, all alone and confused. What kinda Shepards would we be if we left behind a sheep?" The man, identified as Frederick barely even budges from his stance. "I simply put forth a vote that caution would be prudent. What Shepards would we be to let a wolf into our flock?"

Chrom thinks for a moment. "Fine. We'll take her to the nearest town, and then sort things out." Robin raised a hand to ask a question, but quickly put it down. Chrom noticed regardless. "Yes?" She tentatively asked: "Do I get a say?" Chrom sighed. "Yes, we'll hear all you have to say in town. Now come on." Robin simply nodded, and followed behind.

...

After some walking, Robin ventured another question. "So... am I a prisoner?" Chrom laughed quietly in response. "You'll be free as a bird once we establish you're not an enemy of Ylisse." Robin only has more questions after that response. She continues walking for a bit, before asking another question. "What's a Ylisse?" Frederick audibly sighs, grumbling under his breath. Chrom responds in turn. "It's the land we're in now. The Halidom of Ylisse. Our leader's name is Emmeryn, and she's known as the Exalt." Frederick's eye twitches. "She's not a very convincing actress, but she has you wrapped around her thumb, milord." Chrom only responds with a sigh, as the group continues to walk.

...

"So, if that's Chrom, and that's Frederick, what's your name?" Robin whispered to the girl. "Oh, I'm Lissa!" She said, LOUDLY, as Robin cringes. She then looks off to the distance, noticing a town. And a lot of smoke. Coming from said town. "What's.. going on there?" She asked nobody in particular. Chrom responds by swearing under his breath. "Damn! Probably the last of those Brigands! They must have set the town on fire!" Chrom begins sprinting off full tilt towards the town. Robin catches a glimpse of Chrom's fancy sword on his belt, further cementing his identity. "Milord, what about her?" Frederick shouted after him. Chrom, however, was far gone. Lissa ran off behind him, screeching for him to wait up.

Robin felt Frederick's eyes bore into her. "I suppose I'll have to babysit you now." He says with a grimace. Robin quivered in response. Frederick snaps his fingers, and within 5 minutes, an armored Warhorse comes sprinting up behind him. "How did you do that?" Robin asked. Frederick grinned, which was eerie. "He's very responsive." Frederick hopped atop the horse, and suddenly grabbed her oversized coat. "H-huh?" The rider swiftly lifted her clean off her feet, and set her on the back of his horse's saddle. "Hold tight. And don't fall off. I might not have a problem with you busting your head open, but Chrom probably would."

Robin gulped as Frederick's Warhorse galloped off towards the town.

 _ **End of the naptime. See you, space cowboy.**_


	3. Prologue: The Verge of History

_**The Verge of History**_

Robin's ride was not even remotely comfortable. Frederick's horse took gargantuan strides, and there was absolutely nothing soft whatsoever for her to grab. Frederick himself was approximately about as welcoming as a pit full of spikes. Within minutes, they arrived within the town, mere seconds after Chrom and Lissa had arrived. Robin shakily dropped off the side of Frederick's horse, her knees buckling as she dropped to the cobbled floor.

Frederick only sighed in disgust. Chrom turned, and swiftly moved over, helping her up. _"He's... soft."_ Robin instinctively hugged Chrom, much to Frederick's chagrin. After a few moments, Chrom bullied his way out of her grip. "Now, are we ready to go?" Frederick only responded with a cold "These are practiced thieves and murderers. Try not to become the next victim of either. It's them or us."

Robin shuddered. She realized she'd instinctively pulled out the book from her dream. But... it was smaller? And less yellow. Also, she found the sword from her dream on her belt. And it was also smaller. And not anywhere near as shiny. Chrom's eyebrows raised. "Is that a tome? You know magic?" Robin stops, thinking. "I believe so. Suppose I should... check." Chrom's eye twitched this time. "You believe so? Maybe I'll be behind you, then." Robin's mind only went to dirty places in response.

She snuck across a marketplace, noticing a Brigand wielding a sword standing in the middle. She stooped low, and crawled up behind a fruit stand, taking aim. Robin instinctively flipped to the right page, and unleashed a small cluster of electricty. It flew through the air with a hum, and struck the man in the back. But it didn't kill him. He instantly spotted her, turning, and called for his friend. His friend, just so happened to be out of her sight and around the corner. With an axe.

 _"Ah, shit."_ She grimaced as the man flung himself at her, axe swinging wildly. She ducked, and was caught by the blunt edge on the top of her head. She then directly swatted him with the tome, discharging electricty wildly. The brigand with the sword circled around behind her, in a pincher movement. At least, seeing him coming, she was able to dance out of the way, only catching a minor cut to the knee. Robin then flung her tome at his face, and it exploded with a violent burst of magic.

The brigand fell backwards, cracking his head open upon the ground. Causing a pretty nasty mess. The axe wielder looked at her, and shouted with rage, swinging his axe mightily for her head. It never hit, as a massive lance split the axe in two down the middle, and then ran directly through the man's chest, pinning him into the ground. Robin shuddered, as Frederick circled around her, unceremoniously ripping the lance out of the man's body. It had instantly killed him. Chrom swiftly followed behind, his fancy blade already stained with blood.

Lissa bounced up behind her, a... stick in her hand? "Oh, you've got a boo-boo!" She grinned, and spun the stick in her hand, cloaking Robin in green light, as the wounds closed with a... watery sensation. "Thanks." Robin said tentatively. She then turned, and followed behind Chrom and Frederick.

Frederick, and his horse, had already rocketed off across the courtyard and could be seen goring brigands left and right. Chrom meanwhile had sized up a mage, and was about to leap. Robin snuck up along side him, and the two leaped in tandem. Robin opted to simply swat the mage with her tome, as it had worked quite well before, and Chrom was Chrom, as his terrifying jumping power sent him soaring into the air, and crashing down. The tome knocked the mage silly, and Chrom fell down as his blade went directly through the mage's chest.

Robin shivered, repulsed, but quickly getting used to the nasty business. She pored over the mage's body, grabbing his own tome and slipping it up her sleeve. The woman then quickly followed behind Chrom, as he approached a swordsman. The swordsman spotted Chrom as well, and charged silently. Chrom simply feinted left, and then swatted the blade clean out of the man's hand, before viciously running him through. Robin quietly thought for a second. "Chrom, your sword's kinda funny looking. Is it.. special?" Chrom didn't respond, already spotting the next target and charging him down.

Robin shrugged, and ran after him. The pair worked their way across town, ambushing brigand after brigand, and neatly dispatching them with ease. Eventually, they worked their way up to the center of town, to a church. Here, a group of brigands seemed to be making their last stand. "Chrom, do you see the big one? He's got a different looking weapon. Maybe he's in charge?" Robin asked. Chrom nodded. "If we take him out, the rest will probably scatter, making our job far easier." Robin nodded in turn.

Robin opened up by launching a ball of electricity from her tome at the brigand's leader. It struck him, knocking him off balance for a second, before he turned and THREW his axe at her. She cried out in shock as it embedded itself in her leg. Chrom then snarled, pulling the axe out and throwing it back at the Brigand leader in a fluid motion. The axe flew erratically, and brained a different brigand, knocking them instantly unconscious. Chrom then leaped forward, and swipes his blade. The Brigand Leader suddenly stopped, standing impossibly still. And then his head fell off.

The brigands took this as a good opportunity to run. Unfortunately for them, they ran directly into Frederick. Frederick calmly picked them off one by one, spearing them from his position atop the horse. He slowly followed the stragglers, clearly intent on taking no survivors.

Chrom turned to Robin. "Are you okay?" She bit her lip, nursing the wound as stray tears fell out of her eye. "I'm fine." She mouthed. Chrom simply stood guard over Robin as she got to her feet. "You think that's it for them?" She asked.

"Yeah." Chrom replied. "Remember your name yet?" He asked, turning. Robin blinked. "Robin." She said, suddenly. Chrom shrugged. "It took an axe to the leg to jolt your brain into remembering your name?" Robin nervously smiled. "I guess so."

...

Eventually, the group regathered in the marketplace, as the villagers had scattered and were still holed up in their houses. "That's the end of that." Robin said, still casting nervous glances at Frederick. Lissa excitedly grinned at Robin. "You're a magician! You were like PEW PEW, and then the guys went down!" Chrom smiled as well. "She took an axe to the leg helping me take down the leader. Also, she remembered her name. It's.. Robin, right?" Robin nodded. Frederick frowned. "I see. You trust her?" Chrom nodded. "She fought to help us save Ylissean lives. My heart's saying she's good." Frederick's frown turned to a scowl. "And your mind?"

Chrom sighed. "Frederick, she took an axe to the leg to help me. And we could use someone of her skills. She's clearly got a sword as well, and she helped me set up countless ambushes for those brigands. She's obviously got a head for tactics on top of her magic, and sword."

Frederick grumbled. "Just think with your mind, instead of your heart. Or your nethers." Chrom smiled at that. "That's very Frederick of you to say."

Robin had silently moved behind Chrom, within hugging range, and opted to hug him again. He was pretty soft, after all.

"Are we getting a move on?" Frederick inquired, his horse already trotting out of town.

"Yeah, let's go!" Lissa added.

 _ **End of Verge of History**_


	4. Frederick's Camping Trip

(A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been pre-occupied with Echoes, trying to get weapons from Thabes. I think I'm throwing in the towel on that for a good long while. In other news, I'll also be going on vacation for a while, so I'll be writing a few chapters on my phone to all unleash when I get back home and reformat them. Thanks for reading!)

 _ **Frederick's Camping Trip**_

After the skirmish with bandits, the group elected to head back to Ylisstol, Robin in tow. Lissa put up complaints that they could stay in the village for the night, and not sleep in the woods, but Frederick offered a rebuttal of "You said you'd get used to it when we left", and shut her down. As the group progressed, the silence enveloping our heroes only grew. Contrary to what folk tales would have you believe, bloodily slaughtering your enemies does not function as a stellar bonding exercise, in fact, it's quite the opposite.

Eventually, Frederick broke the silence. "So, milord. On a side note, have you noticed something?" Chrom looked over at Frederick. "Yes?" The brown haired man continued. "All the brigands spoke with a heavy Plegian accent." Robin slowly started raising her hand in confusion. Frederick sighed. "Plegia is Ylisse's neighbor." Robin nodded. Chrom shook his head in disgust. "They often send raiding parties of brigands in an attempt to provoke Ylisse into a costly war." Robin exhaled, thinking. Lissa, for once not cheerful, chimed in as well. "And it's all the innocent villagers that get hurt!"

The group continued on in silence. "So, how much farther do we have to go?" Robin asked quietly. Frederick glanced over at her. "The capital isn't far. But, we'll have to stop for the night in the woods." Robin simply nodded. "Alright." And thus, the party continued.

As the group set up camp, Lissa sat on a rock. She didn't do much in the way of helping, as Frederick pulled more than his weight, Robin bumbled about helping as best as she could, with Chrom guiding Robin on how to set up tents and clear the space. Eventually, it came time for a meal, and Frederick slunk off into the woods, javelin in hand. After a bit, Robin brought up a question. "Chrom, is Frederick really going to hunt something with only a javelin?" Robin asked. "Yeah, it won't be the first time, nor the last. He's brought in bears before." The tactician nodded slowly. "He's... certainly something. You've got a thoroughly stern lieutenant there, Chrom." Chrom laughed in response. "Yeah, he's only happy when he's bringing down his handheld guillotine of an axe."

Frederick calmly cleared his throat from behind them. "You are aware I'm right here, right?" Chrom only grinned. "Yup." Robin nervously laughed. "Totally." Frederick dragged out the body of a deer into the camp, javelin impaled through it's body. "Frederick, how'd you sneak up on this? You went hunting in armor." Robin asked. Everyone's favorite Great Knight only responded with: "I didn't. I threw it from 60 feet before it noticed me." The tactician gawked. "W-well, alright then."

And thus, Robin tried her hand at cooking, and it didn't go horribly wrong, despite her questionable attempts to spice things up with "herbs", which were weeds she pulled up when nobody was looking. Everyone retired to their tent that night.

 _ **End of Frederick's Camping Trip**_

 _ **(Or is it? The camping trip never ends...)**_

 _ **(A/N: Sorry if it's short. This is just segwaying into the next chapter. Expect an update by Sunday evening.)**_


	5. Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change

(A/N: Apologies for being a day late. As you can see, I'm taking minor detractions from the plot. Heck, I'm planning on abandoning it entirely for my own story. Still not sure, so I'll flip a coin on whether to follow the plot or make my own after I publish this.)

 _ **Unwelcome Change:**_

In the morning, after the night was spent, each member of the group awoke at their speed. Frederick was up and fully dressed and armored within minutes, and headed off to collect pebbles. Chrom was second, waking up quite quickly, and preparing himself to clean up camp, but realized Frederick had already done so. Robin followed after Chrom, finding that even more tomes had fallen out of her coat, and wondered just how deep it was. She began to make a list of her tomes, which listed off two Thunder tomes, the stolen Wind tome, an Arcthunder tome, and of all things, an extremely heavy and expensive looking fire type tome that she didn't recognize.

Lissa soon followed, picking up her staff from outside her tent. The group, with Frederick returning, quickly packed away the rest of the camp in silence. There just really wasn't much to say. Soon enough, as per usual, Robin spoke up. "Frederick, so... what's with the rocks?" The Great Knight looked over to her. "You mean my pebble collection?" Robin nodded. Frederick only blew off the question with a curt: "It's nothing important. Just a hobby." The tactician shrugged, and got ready to go by slipping her tomes back into her jacket, only to find a vulnerary in there as well. _"This is getting ridiculous."_ Soon enough, the group was ready to go again.

The trip was not quick. Some trouble must have beset the land as a lot of the woods and grounds were torn up, making travel difficult. It took the group all day to get to Ylisstol, the capital only being in sight by the time the sun had touched the horizon. In addition to Ylisstol, another sight was in order. There was a massive skirmish taking place in front of the gates, and the group instantly headed straight towards it down a hill. Within a minute, they came across the battle, each readying their respective equipment. Robin simply palmed one of her Thunder Tomes, Chrom drew Falchion, Lissa stood behind Frederick with a Heal, and Frederick drew his Iron Axe and leapt astride his horse.

The group charged into battle, and were promptly met with the strangest enemies. Strange figures vaguely resembling men, armed mostly with axes blundered about the battlefield, and soaked up attacks like sponges, but disintegrated when put down. Chrom and Robin cut their way through to the heart of the conflict in tandem, with Robin's aimed bolts and tome swats clearing most of the figures while Chrom shredded any that got too close. Soon enough, they cut their way through the lines to familiar faces. Faces familiar to Chrom, anyways. Robin didn't recognize any of them. They seemed to recognize her, however. Most shouted questions asking what she was doing with Chrom, and why her hair was longer. A few ruined battlements scattered the field, and Robin and Chrom dropped into one to take a breather.

"So, who are your friends?" The tactician asked breathlessly. Chrom only grinned. "Shepards." She blinked slowly. "That doesn't make any sense." Chrom's grin only grew wider. "I'll explain when we're done fighting these… things."

The duo jumped out of the fort and set to work. While they had been talkin in the fort, a group of the figures had moved to surround them. Robin chipped some of them down with bolts as Chrom sidled up to others and simply cleaved them in two with his blade. A few of the figures were armed with bows, and the pair rushed down the archers so they couldn't be fired upon. Other fights could be seen in the distance, and Robin swore she could see Frederick running one of the figures through with a tree branch.

Soon enough, the pair spotted a particularly large enemy. This one, unlike all the rest, was not wearing a helm, but instead had long hair, and held a peculiar looking axe. Robin threw a bolt at it from a distance, and was met with a shock when the figure responded in kind by throwing the axe at her. She screamed in pain as the axe embedded itself in her shoulder, biting through her cloak, and dropping her on her rear. Chrom turned, and flung himself through the air as he slammed the blade down on the unique figure's head. The figure stood still for a second, before splitting in two down the middle.

Robin groaned softly as she tried to pull the axe out of her shoulder, before deciding to leave it. "Robin, are you alright?" Robin groaned. "No, I've got an axe in my shoulder! What do you think!" Chrom blinked. "Right. Uh. I'll go find Lissa, then." Robin sighed, standing up and following behind him.

 _ **End of Unwelcome Change**_

(A/N: This one's short too. I'll do better next time.)


	6. What Comes After

_**What comes after.**_

The fight was over. The battle was won, and with no casualties, let alone serious injuries to boot. Robin couldn't have planned it better. The tactician grinned, palming their tomes and heading to meet up with the group.

...

Robin, Chrom, and Lissa stood in a semicircle after the battle. Lissa had tended to Robin's wound, and Robin was easily sure she was developing a phobia of throwing axes. Soon, a pair of silhouettes appeared. One was easily identified as Frederick, and the other was a mysterious figure in a blue mask. Frederick advanced over to Chrom.

"It seems all the creatures are vanquished. That young man over there helped us mop up the others." Frederick gestures over the masked individual. Chrom smiled. "Thanks for the help. What's your name?" he asked. "Marth", responded Marth. "Your name is that of the heroic king of old?" Chrom inquired. Marth only nodded. "I caught glimpses of you fighting. Where'd you learn swordplay like that?" Marth shook his head. "I'm not here for me. This world's on the edge of a horrific calamity, and this is only a prelude." With that Marth strode off into the woods. Nobody followed him.

"Well. That was.. succinct. Can't help but feel like I'm missing out, or something." Robin laughed nervously, before wincing as her shoulder still was in pain. "So, who were all those people fighting out of eyesight?" Chrom grinned. "Those are the Shepherds. They're Ylisse's elite circle of highly trained knights and warriors. I myself lead them up." Robin's mouth made a little O shape. "Alright. So, can I meet them?" Chrom nodded. "Sure, after we make our way back to home." Robin nodded.

The group traveled their way through Ylisstol's streets. The sun had already set in the middle of their battle, so Chrom's entourage had split back up to avoid waking the citizens up. Chrom, Frederick, Lissa and Robin stayed together, and the rest of the Shepherds made their way through Ylisstol, never having been seen by Robin yet. Soon enough, they arrived at the palace. "Wow, you've got friends in high places, huh Chrom?" Chrom simply smiled. "I've got houses in high places. I wanna show you my sister, the Exalt. When she wakes up, that is." Robin blinked, stopping to think for a second. "If your sister's the Exalt, then that makes you… the Prince?" Chrom nods. "Oh… geez. I should probably clean up my act, shouldn't I." Chrom shook his head. "Let's just go get everyone in bed and we'll take care of this in the morning."

Robin begrudingly nodded, her eye halfway closed as she walked inside the castle. Soon, she, and everyone else, was asleep.

End of What Comes After

 _ **(A/N: Holy shit, I have had writer's block for a straight week. At least I can finally start writing soon. This was even shorter than what it was supposed to be, I am so sorry. This has gotta be my shortest chapter yet. Granted, I didn't have a lot to work with though.)**_


	7. Shepherds Part 1 of 3

_**Shepherds Part 1/3**_

In the morning, Chrom awoke Robin and brought her to the Shepherd's garrison. "I can't wait to introduce you, Robin." Robin nodded, smiling. Lissa was off talking with a friend, and Frederick was relaying reports to Chrom's sister, who Robin still had yet to meet, and wanted to meet. Chrom and Robin entered the room, and were met with an interesting sight. A blonde haired man blocked the doorway, hiding the room. "Hey, Chrom, we have a surprise for you." Chrom raised an eyebrow. "Vaike. I've got a surprise for you too." Vaike only raised his eyebrows, mimicking Chrom.

"We found this magician named Robin, and he/she's a really great person that we/I want to induct into the Shepherds." The two said simultaneously. And then they blinked in sync.

"Wait, what?" Robin peeked her head from out behind Chrom. Only to see a mirror image peeking out from behind Vaike. Just, with shorter hair.

"Wait, what?" Robin had peeked his head out from behind Vaike, only to see a mirror image peeking out from behind Chrom. Just, with longer hair.

"Robin, how'd you sneak around me?" Vaike laughed. "I didn't. Why is that man behind you so similar in appearance to me?"

...

 **After about 5 minutes of explaining, confusion, minor shouting, and both Robins staring each other down nervously.**

...

"So, lemme get this straight, Vaike. You found this man laying in the middle of the garrison, and he didn't remember much of anything, because he was an amnesiac. You yourself let him pal around with you, sparring with the fellow Shepherds, and last night, when those creatures attacked, he came with and helped out." Vaike nodded. "And Chrom, you said you found this girl snoring in the middle of a field, and she didn't remember much of anything, cuz she's an am... she doesn't remember? And she followed you around, fighting bandits, and helped us fight last night?" Chrom nodded.

"Maybe they're brother and sister?" A woman suggested from the corner. "Possibly, Sumia. In any case, how are you?" Sumia stepped forward to speak, only tripping and landing on her face. "Sumia, are you alright? Don't tell me it's those blasted boots of yours again." Sumia only sighed. "So, anyways. This went differently than I thought it would. Frederick's going to have a stroke when he finds out there's two of you, Robin." Robin giggled, and the male Robin blinked. "Who?" He asked. Everyone in the room was confused, and then realized what was going on.

"This is going to get confusing. We're gonna need a way to tell you two apart." Everyone sat about for a bit, before Sumia suggested something. "Well, the Robin that's been with us has shinier hair, so maybe we name him accordingly?" The male Robin turned to Sumia. "How come I get the short end of the stick?" A voice butted in from the doorway. "Oh, quit complaining. In any case, Sumia's idea is excellent. I've already thought of a word." Maribelle grinned, holding her parasol lightly, Lissa at her side. "Reflet is my suggestion. It means "luster"." Vaike blinked. "I don't think Robin's that kinda guy, Maribelle." The noble sighed, exhasperated. "No, Vaike, it means shiny. Is that better?"

Robin, or the newly christened Reflet shook his head. "I guess. It's gonna take some getting used to. But, next time, she has to change, whatever it is." Robin only nodded in response. "That's fair, I guess. I got to keep my name."

Chrom shook his head. "In any case, there was something else I brought everyone here for today. We'll be marching to Regna Ferox soon enough." Robin cocked her head, but Reflet whispered in her ear: "It's up north, and it's full of strong barbarians and warriors. I did some reading while I was here." Chrom then continued. "This new menace of monsters could be dangerous, so we're going to ask for help. My sister, Emmeryn, would normally give the request, but the people might worry if she left them here in wake of the earthquakes and monsters, so we're going instead."

Everyone in the room nodded. "Now, everyone, this is completely voluntary. Nobody's forced to come." Lissa led the mass spree of volunteering, as everyone quickly threw themselves aboard within moments. Even a mysterious man in a massive armored suit offered to go, but only Robin and Reflet noticed him. Sumia had seemed nervous, but decided to follow at a safe distance, as she wasn't sure she was ready for proper missions. Spear fighting the monsters on the ground the previous night had been enlightening in the ways of combat, but had also shaken her resolve considerably.

Thus, everyone headed off at once. Chrom had ordered supplies readied before he had rested, already knowing that a journey was to be had soon. Despite the full group ranging from Lissa, to the armored man, to Vaike, it was apparent even more were on their way. Two riders on horseback, and one archer following one of the riders headed up behind them. "Wait up, Chrom!" Chrom raised an eyebrow. "Stahl? Sully? And... who are you?"

Stahl waved, Sully nodded her head, and the archer poised to introduce himself. "My name is-" Sully cut him off. "He's Virion. Don't let him hog the spotlight, or he'll hold it for way too long. He's following me for some reason." Chrom shrugged. "Frederick's gonna have nightmares about letting this many new people near me and Lissa. Speaking of which, where is Frederick?" Everyone shrugged, and then noticed a thundering dustcloud approaching from Ylisse. Robin blanched. "That's probably Frederick."

"So, why are you all showing up now?" Stahl pouted. "Why was I the last person to hear about this expedition?" Lissa looked up. "Vaike, you were supposed to tell him." Vaike grimaced. "Hey, Teach never forgets. He just... doesn't always remember." Maribelle muttered something along the lines of "that's the same thing", and Lissa groaned. "You'd forget your name and nicknames if you weren't saying them so often, Vaike!" The blonde haired man grimaced again. "Did you at least remember your axe, Vaike?" Vaike snarled in response. "That was once! Twice! No, once, training sessions don't count!" Everyone sighed as a collective.

"Anyways Chrom, Miriel should be following soon. Maybe she caught a lift with Frederick." Stahl added. Robin sighed suddenly. "What is it, Robin?" Reflet turned, and then slapped himself in the head, still not used to the new name. "I just realized I never got to meet your sister Emmeryn, Chrom." Chrom nodded his head. "Well, when we get back."

Sumia shouted over. "Captain, there are more of those figures ahead!" Chrom swore under his breath. "They're this far already? Damn. Let's show em what we've got, then!"

 _ **End of Shepherds Part 1/3**_

 _ **(A/N: Now that the story's back on track, expect much more frequent updates. That stupid pesky writers block had been the death of me!)**_


	8. Shepherds Part 2 of 3

_**Shepherds Part 2/3**_

The group, consisting of: stared down the crowd of creatures in front of them. Robin, and the newly christened Reflet bickered for a second on how to kill them, before devising a plan.

Robin began. "It's mostly foot soldiers on this side of the bridge. There's a hill we can use to take advantage of, and stands of trees on each side of the road. Additionally, the bridge has towers on each side of it. If we take the bridge, we should be fine, as that water is flowing too fast for any of the creatures." Chrom nodded, as Reflet took over. "Most are wielding simple iron weaponry, and none of them seem to stand out as particularly threatening. Still, they, as anyone else, will pose a threat to the unwary. Fortune is smiling on us however, as I get the feeling most of their weaponry may be salvageable. Let's get started."

Robin took point with Chrom, favoring her tomes as Reflet slid over to the side and moved to cover Virion. Vaike could be heard shouting in confusion, wondering where his axe was. Lissa could be heard sighing, Sully was chatting with Stahl as they charged in tandem, and Chrom was rushing down a sword wielding creature. Within moments, the battle had begun.

Groups of the creatures had emerged from the stands of trees, as Chrom and Robin worked to mow them down, with Robin's casting covering any blind spots Chrom's swordwork missed. Chrom's sword seemed to endlessly cleave the creatures in two, and it soon became apparent that most of the creatures seemed to actively avoid Robin, with good reason. Robin's aim was near flawless, always shredding the creatures from astounding distance. The duo continued to work their way around the south edge of the river, even breaking out of the trees onto the beach to chase a creature that had attempted to flee.

Robin breathed quietly, her feet slightly shifting in the sand. "I bet I've gotten more than you." Chrom raised his eyebrow slightly. "You have not." The tactician huffed quietly "I have too." The royal laughed quietly, panting from the effort. "You're crazy. Don't you get hot in that coat?" "I'm right. And no, this thing's pretty comfortable." At that, the two stared into each others eyes for a bit, the silence settling in. Robin wracked her brain to think of things to say, but couldn't think of anything. Chrom, meanwhile, was thinking of two things. Bear meat, and what a good friend Robin was turning out to be.

...

Meanwhile, Sully and Stahl's charge mowed down lone creatures that had been split from their packs. Sully turned to her right, as her horse trotted along. "So, Stahl. You and me, we work together pretty well, you think?" Stahl nodded quietly, as they singled out another stray creature and Stahl bisected it with a charging blow. "Hey, Stahl, what do you think of that blue haired chucklefuck?" Stahl's eyes widened suddenly. "No, Stahl, not Chrom, that Virion guy." The green haired man exhaled in relief. "I don't know. He's been following you around, right?" Sully nodded. "Maybe he thinks you're attractive?" Sully laughed in response. "He's got another thing coming if he thinks he can just walk up and woo me." With that, Sully set her horse into a gallop and ran another one of the creatures through with her lance, almost snapping the pole as she pulled it out. "Man, lances don't seem to be very good for taking these things out." Sully griped. Stahl turned left to her, offering her his sword wordlessly. "No thanks, Stahl, I'm good." With that, Stahl turned, changed sword hands, and lopped off another creature's head, as it disintegrated. "How many of these things are there? I could swear there weren't this many when we first saw them?" Stahl asked quietly. "No idea." Sully replied with a shrug, pointing another out to Stahl. They both set their horses to a gallop, and charged it down.

…

Vaike was having an absolutely less than stellar day. He'd lost his axe yet again. He wondered how he'd get a replacement. The shirtless man blundered about the stands of trees, looking for at least a heavy tree branch. He did at least appreciate the quiet. It was almost relaxing. And then, Vaike found something incredible. It was an AXE, and it was just sitting there on the ground, waiting to be liberated by someone great. Someone like the Teach. Vaike quietly shrieked with glee, picking it up, and almost falling over with it's weight. "This thing's heavy!" He tried giving it a practice swing. "I don't think I'd be so great swinging this thing, but maybe I could hit something with it by dropping it on them. Hell, with this weight, I'd only need one hit at all." He chuckled, shouldering the axe. "I wonder what it's called? Ah, who am I kidding, I'm not the type of blonde to name my weapons." He shrugged, charging off with the heavy axe, and just using it to bludgeon any of the creatures he'd come across.

…

Lissa and Maribelle were talking about things. As both of them were relegated to being healers, they weren't really doing much of anything, and were instead on standby. As such, they were able to just talk normally. Their conversation drifted aimlessly, ranging from stave techniques to suitors. "Honestly, Lissa? All those boys that my father lines up for me? I'm just not interested. They're distinctly lacking in certain qualities." Lissa giggled."Maybe you're into something I heard of that happened overseas. To put it lightly, it's called "alternative lifestyle choices", Maribelle." With that, the heir of Themis looked to Lissa. "What's that mean, Lissa?" The cleric giggled. "It's apparently when people marry people the same gender." "LISSA, ARE YOU IMPLYI-" Lissa cut her off by running off laughing.

…

Virion was trying to keep up with Sully. However, he wasn't even succeeding in the slightest. Being on foot is very different than having a horse, after all. The (disguised) Duke of Rosanne was out of breath, out of patience, and out of range to call to her. Virion sat down next to a tree, leaning against it while laying his bow across his lap. "Maybe I should rest a bit." He leaned his head back against the tree, knocking against it slightly. The tree's response was to drop a loosened broken branch onto his head with a resounding _CRACK_. Virion felt like he was about to cry.

…

"Reflet" was mad. No, scratch that, he was furious. And he was taking it out on the creatures around him. "Why do I have to get my name changed! And why does Maribelle get to pick it! This is stupid. I'm gonna come up with a new one." He wracked his brain, cleaving the figures in two with vicious inattentive swipes. "Oh, right, I don't have any memories. Hey, that Marth guy named himself after a legend. Maybe I can do the same. Hm….." Reflet thought for a few moments, while swatting one of the creatures to the ground and stabbing it repeatedly in the chest. "I know, I'll take the name of one of the best known tacticians ever. Mark." Mark grinned. "That's a good name." He happily smiled, smashing the hilt of the bronze sword into one of the creatures and then kicking it to the ground. "Today might just be a good day after all."

…

Soon enough, everyone grouped back up. Chrom turned to everyone. "Is everyone alright?" There was a chorus of nods, and uh-huhs. Robin stepped forward. "Good. We're going to take the bridge, and then the other side. Now that we've covered our backs, we can force our way through." Mark also stepped forwards. "Hey, I didn't like the name assigned to me. I wanted to pick my own at least, so I did. I'm going by Mark now." Maribelle huffs, but everyone else is fine with the decision. The Shepherds group up and approach the bridge. Each side of the bridge is fortified with barricades, and a few of the creatures are almost tactically situated behind them.

 _ **End of Shepherds Part 2/3**_


	9. Shepherds Part 3 of 3

**(A/N: Schoolwork has kept me busy for far too long. My fingers are still sore with writing, but the show must go on.)**

 _ **Shepherds Part 3/3**_

The group charged the bridge. Sully and Stahl covered the outsides, slowing their horses so as not to outpace the group. Maribelle and Lissa were situated at the center of the group, protected by everyone else while being in a good position to deliver healing to any injured. Vaike, Chrom, and Mark took point, with their styles of: bludgeoning with an axe, piercing with careful strikes, and savage slashes designed to maim, respectively. Robin took point directly behind Chrom, bombarding with tomes, and Virion loosed arrows with her.

The Shepherd's charge annihilated the group of creatures holding the bridge. They easily cut through the unruly ranks and swept their way across the bridge, casting the creatures' dissipating corpses aside. The only creatures left were the stragglers on the other side of the river.

Mark turns to everyone, planting the tip of his sword in the bridge. Literally, stabbing the blade into the stone. "Nice work everyone. We'll wipe the stragglers out, and continue onto Ferox." Everyone nodded in silence, as Chrom looked a little miffed that his job was taken. Mark then turned, wrenching his blade out of the cracked stone, and headed off towards the remaining creatures. Everyone else followed suit.

Sully and Stahl resumed their positions guarding the edges of the formation. Sully easily swiped her lance about from atop her mount at the creatures, keeping the faster ones at bay, and the slower ones in pieces. Stahl on the other hand had to get much closer with his sword, but instead left far more dying than wounded. Most of the ones that went down but weren't killed, Virion put an arrow through. Robin's tomes bombarded most of the creatures that hung back, as she alternated between meaty fireballs, swift blades of wind, and shocking balls of electricity. At one point, a Risen got past a gap in Sully's guard, and Lissa leaned over and brained it with her staff, unleashing an audible crack that rung in everyone's ears.

At the point of the formation, Vaike, Chrom, and Mark all were holding a competition. Vaike had been the one to start it, and Mark had ended up roping Chrom in as well. Vaike was dead last, as despite having the most raw power, he wasn't actually capable of swinging the slab of metal he had found very effectively. Mark's inexperienced but powerful slashes with deadly precision proved to be an extremely strong rival to Chrom's well practiced Exalted style of swordplay. Chrom and Mark were mostly neck and neck, with each pulling ahead and then falling behind as the creatures fell. Soon enough, they approached what served as some sort of leader.

The Risen Chief, only being yet another creature to the group, towered above everyone. Robin swore under her breath. "Not another throwing axe." But, it was, another throwing axe. The Chief flung the axe directly at Robin, but Chrom pushed her aside at the last second, before tripping and landing on her. "What's the big idea!" She shouted. Meanwhile, as this is happening, Vaike swipes the axe, and then bumrushes the Chief. Now weaponless, the Chief simply opts to punch at Vaike, but he ducks with a surprising amount of grace, and then promptly splits the Chief's leg in two, dropping it to the ground. Mark then leaps over, and runs the Chief's downed body through.

"Well. That's that." Mark quipped. Vaike only turned to glare at him. "That's my kill. It doesn't count for you." Mark glowered in response. "But I killed it." Vaike snarled. "But I knocked it down. And that thing's worth at least three." Mark ripped his sword out of the rapidly dissipating corpse. "We'll split it, then." Vaike raised his eyebrows, and then started counting on his fingers. "You can't split three, stupid." The male tactician's eyes rolled. "Yes, you can. It makes one and a half." "You can't have half a kill!" Both of them were interrupted by Maribelle screeching at them to grow up. The duo turned to each other, and sighed.

"Hey… what are you doing, Chrom?" Everyone turned. Sumia was standing off to the side, staring at Chrom. Everyone then turned to Chrom, and understood her question. Chrom was uncomfortably trying to get up off the ground, and Robin was attempting to get out from under him, and each of their efforts were in vain as they consistently accidentally sabotaged each other with flailing. "Nothing at all, Sumia. I just fell." Chrom said shakily as he stood up. "Where were you, Sumia?" Sumia awkwardly started. "Well, I saw a horse in the trees, so I went after it. But, it had wings, so it was a Pegasus. The poor thing had been roughed up, but I had a few vulneraries on hand, and I helped him." With that, the Pegasus slowly trotted up to them, as it had been behind a tree.

"Oh. Okay. So, can you ride him?" Mark asked. Sumia blinked. "I've ridden a few horses before, but never a Pegasus. I suppose I could give it a try. But, he's still a little rough around the edges, so I'll lag behind." Mark nodded. Chrom by this point had finally stood up. "Sounds fine, Sumia. We'll continue on to the Longfort."

"Oh? It's not like you're missing anyone." A stern voice said from behind the group. Everyone slowly turned, and behold, it was Frederick. And his anger was a quiet, but strong anger. "Milord, you simply. Left… Ylisstol. Without telling me. With all these people. And strangers. Who is the main with light blue hair. For that matter, why is there a Pegasus." Frederick questioned rapidly. "Frederick, Frederick, please, I meant no harm, but you were busy with Emmeryn, and time was short." Chrom started. "No buts, Chrom. Miriel, you may get off the horse now." Miriel hopped off the back of Frederick's horse, walked over to Vaike, and shoved his axe into his hands. "I'm too sore to add another tally to the count, Vaike." She groaned. Vaike blinked, wondering where he was going to put his third axe.

Frederick's eye slowly twitched. "So, I suspect you fought the Risen?" Robin raised a hand slowly. "The what?" Frederick's eye twitch only grew stronger. "That's what we're calling those creatures. You would've known that if you hadn't left in the morning without telling anyone. In fact, there was little to no reason to leave at all. A messenger could've handled this." Chrom made a sweeping motion with his hand. "Alright, Frederick, that's enough. A messenger probably would've been killed by these Risen. Besides, I think the Feroxians would be more interested in helping if we gave them a show of faith, with me showing up instead of some civil servant." He scowled, picking up his Falchion, and then began striding off.

Everyone looked around nervously, and then followed. Except Sumia. She was still taking care of her new pegasus. She wondered what to name him.

 _ **End of Shepherds Part 3/3**_

 **(A/N: I can't believe it took me three chapters to take care of a single map. Granted, I've been busy. But still. Also, school is a pain.)**


	10. On the Road to the Longfort

_**On the road to the Longfort**_

"So, uh. Maribelle. Thanks for bringing me my axe. I got two new ones, though." Vaike started. "Oh, is that so?" The haggard mage asked. "Yeah. I found the first one in the woods, and the second I looted off the Ricken." Miriel turned to Vaike, deadpanning. "Risen. Not Ricken. Very big difference there." Vaike's eyes glazed over as he wracked his very small brain. "Oh. Yeah. Risen. Not Ricken. Hah, yeah. Anyways, you wanna see my axe?" Miriel sighed. "You'll show it to me regardless." She said under her breath.

Vaike pulled out the axe he had found. He'd stowed the absolutely monstrous axe away in the remnants of an old cloak he'd been carrying about. It was long, rigid, and had a dragon's wing motif on the blade itself. It emanated raw power. "Vaike. How did you get that." Vaike itched his nose. "Get what?" Miriel groaned. "That axe. That's a very special axe. How'd you get it." Vaike laughed. "I told you, I found it. In the woods."

"Vaike. You're telling me that you expect me to believe you found the legendary Vengeance, one of the three Regalia of Valm, in the woods." Vaike rolled his eyes. "Miriel, you know I don't understand a word you say when you say all those big words." The mage's patience was worn very thin. "Vaike. I'll make this blunt. That axe is the equivalent of the Falchion, but for a country across the sea. And you expect me to just believe you found it in the woods." Vaike rubbed his itchy nose. "Well, it is true. But that means this axe is really special?"

Miriel's patience was now gone. "YES, YOU CRETIN. It belongs in a museum, actually."

Vaike scowled, not having understood the word, but thinking it was probably an insult. "Hey! This axe belongs to the Vaike! It may be heavy, but I can still club things with it." Miriel began walking off. "It'sjustareplica,hecan'tbeusingoneoftheRegaliatobludgeonRisen." She chanted to herself.

"She's weird." Vaike said, wrapping the Vengeance back up.

…

"Lissa, you know. I don't like what you implied earlier." Lissa turned to Maribelle. "What do you mean?" "Lissa, you implied that I was interested in girls." Lissa's grin grew wide. "And you're not?" Maribelle grew flustered. "What are you talking about? No?" Lissa's grin only grew wider still. "Oh, Maribelle, it's obvious to everyone but you." Lissa laughed, and skipped off. Maribelle groaned quietly.

…

Robin yawned. She idly flipped through a book as she was walking. "Hey, Robin. What are you reading?" The tactician turned. "Oh… just a book on some tactics. I found it crammed in my coat. It's dog-eared, so clearly it must be important to me." Chrom nodded. "Say, where is that coat from? I've never seen any like it in Ylisse." Robin shrugged. "No idea." Chrom nodded. "Hey, Robin, your eyes are a little bloodshot. You should sleep at some point or another." Robin nodded. "A lady's gotta get her beauty sleep, sure." Chrom squinted. "Chrom? Did I say something funny?" The lord shook his head. "No… it's just I didn't… consider you the type for beauty and such. Not really like a lady or anything." Robin was aghast. "Ex-CUSE me?" Chrom backpedaled. "No, no, not like that. Not a "lady", per se… you can fight and strategize, not to say a lady can't fight or strategize.. Eugh. this came out wrong." Robin's jaw hung. "Goodness. You're royalty. Doesn't royalty have manner schools while they grow up?" Chrom shuddered. "Yes. We had an entire year on etiquette." Robin deadpanned. "Maybe a year wasn't enough. Maybe another term's in order, on how to talk to a "lady", as you said." Chrom shrunk away. "It's just.. The image I had of a lady in mind is a prim and proper, perfumed, pretty, yknow. When I look at you, you don't resemble that at all. Does make sense? Uh.. Robin? What's that in your hand?"

Robin hefted a very sharp, large rock. "Just thinking. Maybe a rock to the head'll fix your eyesight." Chrom slunk away at a rapid pace. "It was… just a joke? Ha, ha, ha… gotta go!" He sprinted off. Robin slowly murmured to herself. "I don't believe it. He ran off. What kinda manners… Oh well, it's fair. It's not like I think of him as a gentlemen or anything."

…

Sully, Stahl, and Frederick rode in silence. "So. How did you two fare in protecting Chrom." Frederick asked. Stahl piped up first. "We did pretty good. We took the outside of the formation, and walled out the.. Risen as you called them? None got past." Sully shook her head. "Actually, only one got past my lance towards the end there, but was dispatched in a moment." Frederick nodded. "Good, but it can be better. At least you two are dependable." Stahl and Sully nodded, as Frederick rode off past them to the front of the group. "So… Sully. You said earlier we made a pretty good team." Sully nodded. "Yeah, what about it?" Stahl shook his head. "So, I was thinking. I have a green standard, and you a red. And we both serve a blue haired lord. You know what this reminds me of?" Sully nodded enthusiastically"The Legendary Bull and Panther, two knights that served Marth from start to finish? You're on to me. I've always aspired to be like them." Stahl grinned. "So, maybe we'll be the Cain and Abel of this time?" Sully grinned. "Damn straight. You're a little mellow now, but I plan on running circles around those legends. I'm not stopping till I'm built like the Bull." Stahl looked over. "Wait, so you're the Bull, and I'm the Panther?" Sully laughed. "Damn straight!" Stahl nodded. "Got my work cut out for me, then."

…

Virion walked in silence. Mark trailed behind him. Virion's mind ran wild with ideas for a conversation. But, none came to fruition. While Robin's face always adorned a smile, Mark seemed far more serious. And, unlike Robin, he ironically had a strange mark on his hand. The disgraced duke continue walking, before eventually venturing a question. "So, Mark. Hypothetically, if you were driven from your home, what would you do?" Mark looked over. "Wait till I'm strong enough to take it back, and then rip back into whoever took it from me and make them rue the day they were born." Virion nodded. "I see. Hm. Well, what do you think of this whole Feroxian business?" Mark shrugged. "Don't know. Mind's totally blank. Seems interesting. And I want to learn more about Robin. It's weird that she's so much like me." Virion nodded. "I'm curious as to what's going on there as well." Mark nodded. "Yeah. Nice talking with you, Virion." Virion nodded as well. "You too."

…

Current cast list:

Robin: Female Tactician with an affinity for tomes. Unlike Mark, has no mark on her hand. She has frequent breathing problems when overexerted. A very cheerful person, who Risen seem to avoid. Harbors very obvious feelings for Chrom, but she may find love in other places.

Inventory:

Fire Tome

Wind Tome

Thunder Tome

Unidentified fire-type tome.

Mark: Male Tactician with an affinity for swords. Has a strange mark on his hands. Very serious, and can be absolutely ruthless when met at the business end of his blade. He seems closed off when concerning relationships, even platonic ones such as friendships.

Inventory:

Bronze Sword x2

Iron Sword

Soothing Sword

Vulnerary (3/3)

Chrom: The Lord. Exalted Blood. Very Important Person. Also, a total doofus. He's still learning and growing into his role. In a fight, his precise but strong Exalted style of swordplay allows him to make staggering leaps and strikes. In a contest of jumping, Chrom has no equal. Robin's feelings for him are so obvious that even he has noticed them, and he doesn't seem to mind them whatsoever. Perhaps he feels the same.

Inventory:

Falchion

Rapier

Vulnerary (3/3) x2

Lissa: The Little Sister Healer. Also Very Important Person, but some people don't think as much. She's far smarter than she lets on. She's normally a healer, but if you get close, she's deceptively strong and has been reported to have knocked out grown men with a single blow. She's very good friends with Maribelle.

Inventory:

Heal Stave (Uses? Why bother limiting staff uses here. Sounds dumb.)

Frederick: Here he comes. The guardian knight. If you want someone knocked down to size, Frederick's your guy. He'd do anything to protect Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn. Anything. He also doesn't understand the depths of how far is too far when it comes to serving. He keeps a sack of all the pebbles he collects in a day when clearing the path for Chrom and Lissa to walk on. The smallest bag anyone's seen yet was the size of Vaike. Right now, he could easily take on all of the Shepherds in a skirmish, and take down most of them before being beaten.

Inventory:

Silver Lance

Silver Sword

Silver Axe

Concoction 2/2

Sumia: Clumsy girl with a spear, how could this possibly go wrong. She's one of the most nervous people in the Shepherds. Recently she's gotten her hands on a Pegasus. She's named him Belfire.

Inventory:

Iron Lance

Stahl: Viridian Knight. He loves eating, he's well disciplined, he's good with a sword, and he's a great teammate for Sully. Despite these few standout qualities, he's painfully average, but he knows it, and owns it. He knows he doesn't have to be the best, just good and kind.

Inventory:

Bronze Sword

Sully: Crimson Knight. She's the tomboy of the group. There isn't much needed to be said about her, as she proudly wears her personality on her sleeve. She's got a pretty complex backstory, but don't we all? Here's some trivia, she canonically can't swim.

Inventory:

Bronze Lance

Maribelle: Troubled Troubadour. She feels she probably shouldn't be with the group. She's also nobility. She gets along with Lissa quite well. It's pretty obvious she likes Lissa as more than just a "best" friend, though.

Inventory:

Mend Stave

Virion: Bow Guy. Virion's had some absolutely abysmal luck, recently. Normally, things wouldn't even go halfway as bad as they have for him. The ruffles on his outfit give him away, that he's probably nobility somewhere. It's just nobody has the patience to ask him about it, as his tendency to be dramatic is exhausting

Inventory:

Iron Bow

Vaike: Axe guy. Vaike's the man. He's Teach. He's self aware. He's dumber than an entire box of rocks put together. All points into attack, and none in defense. He's known for axes, but if you gave him a lance, he'd probably figure it out, actually.

Inventory:

Vengeance

Handaxe

Iron Axe

 _ **End of Road to the Longfort**_


	11. Chapter 3: Warrior Realm

(A/N: Hey, if you like what you're reading, let me know with a review or something. Or don't. I don't mind either way.)

 _ **Warrior Realm**_

The group approaches the Longfort, in the middle of a blizard. Morale was abysmally low, as most of the Shepherds are huddled together and walking next to each other for warmth.

"Frederick, it's freezing out!" Lissa complained, sitting astride Maribelle's horse and hugging tight. Frederick grunted, shivering in his armor. "It's the wind, milady. That's really what's making it cold out." Miriel nodded, sitting on Frederick's horse with him. "It is a phenomenon known as windchill. The wind makes the temperature seem and feel much colder than it actually is." As she spoke, Miriel's hat almost blew away, but it was caught by Sumia. Sumia's new pegasus was walking on the ground with everyone else. The pegasus rider handed Miriel her hat back.

As the group continued, the fort pulled into view. Robin turns to Chrom. "That it?" Chrom nods, teeth chattering. "Yeah. That's the Longfort. Stretches along the entire Ylissean-Feroxian border." Robin nods. Frederick pulls up alongside the two at the front. "The khans ruling Ferox have grown wary of any foreigners recently. But don't think they'll be hostile just because they don't offer hospitality. We'll just have to be... diplomatic." Frederick grimaces at the word diplomatic, fully knowing his company. "Negotiation's definitely not my strong suit, but I'll do my best." Chrom admits.

...

"Trouble, milord." Frederick states bluntly. "The guards are mobilizing." Chrom swears under his breath in response. "Why?" Frederick shakes his head. "Let's prepare for a fight, should it come to that." The Shepherds slowly approach the Longfort, readying weapons as they close in. A deafening shout can be heard from atop the Longfort's ramparts. "HALT! WHO GOES THERE?"

Chrom sighs. "In the name of House Ylisse, I seek audience with the khans!" He shouts up. "NOT ANOTHER STEP, LAD. I'VE LANCES AT THE READY, AND LANCERS TO PUT THEM THROUGH YOU." Frederick groans. "Hold, milady. We are not your enemy! Exalt Emmeryn herself sent us to discuss matters of mutual interest." The deafening voice can be heard laughing for a moment. "THE ONLY MUTUAL INTEREST HERE IS KEEPING YOU ROTTEN BRIGANDS OUT OF REGNA FEROX." Frederick grimaced. "Wait just a mo-" "YOU THINK YOU LOT ARE THE FIRST "YLISSEANS" TRYING TO CROSS THE BORDER? I HAVE THE AUTHORITY I NEED TO PUT YOU ALL 6 FEET UNDER." Frederick seethed. "How dare you! You are in the presence of Prince Chrom, the exalt's own blood!" Numerous jeers can be heard from the Longfort. "YEAH, AND I'M THE QUEEN OF VALM. IMPERSONATION OF ROYALTY'S A CAPITAL OFFENSE. YOU CLAIM TO BE A YLISSEAN PRINCE? LET'S SOLVE THIS THE FEROXIAN WAY, PROVE IT ON THE BATTLEFIELD."

"Of fucking course." swore Mark. Within moments, javelins were raining down on the group. The Shepherds closed up against the wall as Robin and Mark both began shouting orders. The javelin hail stopped, as there wasn't a good angle for the lancemen to throw at. Robin and Mark turned to each other, thinking for a second, before determining a plan. "This fort's asymmetrical, but the troop placements to our left feature archers. If we can close in, it'll go much smoother." Robin nods. "Right." The Shepherds stick to the wall, closing in on the left. Robin turns to her right, before blankly staring at a fully armored knight just... kinda standing there. "Hey, Chrom, go ask that guy what he's doing." Chrom looks at Robin, bewildered. "Who?" Robin points directly at the knight. "Oh. Didn't see them there. A...alright."

Chrom broke away from the formation, and headed over to the knight. "Hello, sir" The knight said cheerfully. "K-kellam? When did you arrive?" Kellam deadpanned. "Same as you. I've been with you the entire time, actually. I am a Shepherd, right? It's quite the-" "Yes, forgive me, you're just so quiet... I never noticed you." Chrom cut him off. "It's alright sir. Quite alright. I've been told I'm easy to miss." Chrom nods. "At least the Feroxi didn't notice you." Kellam grimaced. "Actually, I've been calling and waving at you for at least 5 minutes now. I don't think they even know I exist." Chrom's eyebrow raised. "You sound disappointed." Kellam shakes his head. "Well. I'm glad you saw me. Keep an eye out for me from now on?" Chrom only nods in response.

The Shepherds peeked around the corner, at a sally port on the Longfort. Mark pointed out a key on one of the archers. "We'll rush them down and knock them out. They'll probably be more inclined for diplomacy if we _don't_ kill their men." Everyone nods. Frederick, Sully, and Stahl rush the archers down while Vaike and Lissa tackle the lance wielding man, and pin him to the ground. Kellam clanks over to the lanceman and sits on him, his oversized suit of armor easily keeping him down while Vaike and Lissa go to incapacitate the archers. Within moments, Robin swipes the key and opens the gate. They're met by a lovely surprise of a couple soldiers.

...

The Shepherds fight their way through the Longfort, focused intently on having 0 causalities on either side. Vaike and Lissa proved immeasurably useful, as Vaike would simply bludgeon the soldiers with the back end of his axe, and Lissa walked up to them innocently before punching them in the throat, or kicking them in the crotch. The Shepherds blazed a trail straight to the center of the Longfort, leaving gasping bodies and knocked out soldiers in their wake. Along their way, Chrom picked up a strange looking sword while kicking over a box of oranges. Oranges spilled all over a balcony, as the pair of Robin and Chrom continued through the Longfort. "So.. uhh.. Chrom. What do you dream about?" Chrom looked at Robin funny. "What kind of question is that?" Robin shrugged, moving into position to pincer a soldier with Chrom, sending the soldier flying into a wall and into the dreamland. "Well. I dream to have the strength to protect my friends and family." Robin nods. "Sorry if that's out of the blue. I just.. asked it for some reason." Chrom nods.

...

The Shepherds finished sweeping their way through the Longfort, coming face to face with the one who had been shouting nonstop at them when they were outside. It was a blonde woman, armored in a manner similar to Kellam's. She sneered at the group, and said something forgettable about battles and words. Miriel simply threw a couple fireballs at her, and she went down laughably easy, only slinging a single javelin out that Miriel sidestepped with ease. The fireballs erupted under the Feroxian woman, launching her clean off her feet, and headfirst into the ceiling with a THUMP. She was out cold before she hit the floor.

...

After a bit, most of the soldiers began stirring. The blonde Feroxian was surprisingly among one of the first. "One thousand apologies, prince Chrom. I thought you were brigands. But no brigand would sweep their way through a fort as such and leave it so unscathed. I'll send word to the capital and escort you myself." Chrom only nods blankly, thinking of something else. Robin idly mused to herself. _"She's a totally different person now."_ She thought. Frederick grunted, as if somehow hearing and understanding her. "In Ferox, strength speaks volumes louder than any word. I should've known better than to overestimate diplomacy here." The Shepherds, finally out of the cold, were able to stay in the fort for a little while longer, while avoiding the windchill.

...

As these mundane events occured to the Shepherds, other cataclysmic events were happening. Risen slowly entered the world, and a few earthquakes happened here or there, but the earthquakes stopped, and gave way to a new phenomenon. What would come to follow over the next few years would be a regular, frequent incursion of random Outrealmers from all walks of life and history. The very first of these incursions happened now.

...

A strange sorcerer with v\bandages encircling his head entered the world. He was accompanied by a few false recreations of life. He didn't remember how he made them. He didn't remember much of anything at all. All he knew was that: he wanted to bring the dragons back. The sorcerer gazed across the expanse of desert. His facsimiles of the Black Fang, and others readied whatever remains of weapons they had. Nergal, the Dark Druid, set out.

...

Robin approached Miriel. "Hey, Miriel, you're a mage too. I was wondering if we could work together and try to practice. Perhaps, would you like to exchange tips, and tricks?" Miriel nodded quietly. "Perhaps. I've noted that you use an unorthodox method of utilizing tome-based warfare when in close quarters combat." Robin blinked, as Miriel continued. "You literally hit your foes with the tome. I don't understand how you're capable of doing it, but you can channel magic through your tome itself. That, I am interested in." Robin nodded quietly.

 _ **End of Warrior Realm**_

 _ **(A/N: So, what do you think of me introducing the spotpass characters? They're all gonna be actual characters, from all the games and stuff. I hope they don't come out too OOC, but to be fair, they're all going to be mostly amnesiac. Every so often, I'll intro another.)**_


	12. Snowed In

**_Snowed In_**

 ** _"_** M'am. We've got a problem." Raimi turned to the Feroxian messenger. "Yeah?" "There's been an earthquake. We're cut off from the rest of Ferox now." Raimi blinks as the messenger continues."Also, Risen are swarming about outside the Longfort." Raimi nods, and interjects. "I'll wake up those Ylisseans. They're handy with weaponry."

The messenger turns, and leaves.

...

Chrom idly stared at the wall of the room that had been reserved for him. The Shepherds had stayed inside the Longfort over night, as the blizzard had swept through, and had been reaching life-threatening levels of cold. Most were relegated to bunks, but he, along with Lissa, and Maribelle had rooms set aside for them. Granted, they were cleaned out closets, but he heard Vaike was sleeping on the ground, so he wasn't about to complain.

Maribelle had scooted herself into Lissa's room while nobody was looking, so Mark had taken her room. And Robin set all her books up on a table in the corner of Chrom's room, as it was the only place with some degree of quiet, being far away from everyone else's rooms.

In other news, Robin and Mark had organized all their equipment, while Sumia attended to their various mounts. They'd had a small alcove that was sheltered from the sleet and snow, and had sent everyone's horses, along with Belfire there.

Chrom sighed. He wondered to himself where Robin was, and then decided to go look. Chrom wandered throughout the Longfort, the chilly air breezing through and puffing up his cape. He heard her humming down a hallway, and set off that way. "Hey, Robin, are you in here?" Chrom waited in silence, outside the doorframe. "Hello?" Robin grunted in response. "I'll be just a moment, Chrom." He nodded, and waited. There was a loud thump, and ripping noise from inside, so Chrom immediately turned and opened the door. "Are you alright?" Chrom was then met by a tome to the face, jolting him with arcs of electricity. "CHROM, I WAS CHANGING!" Chrom rubbed his face. "Sorry, sorry, I just heard a loud thud." Robin sighed, pulling her coat back on. "Uh... Robin. Where's your shirt." Robin tilted her head. "You're only wearing your coat. It's not covering a lot." Robin swore under her breath. "I ripped it in two, actually." Chrom blinked. "Why would you do that?" Robin deadpans in response. "You think it was on purpose?"

"Well... not really now that I think of it. Uh. Do you.. want to cover up with something?" Robin glowered at him. "How'd you even rip it, anyways?" The tactician looked at him, glaring. "I was trying to clean it out." The lord nodded quietly, taking off his cape and handing it over. Robin idly wrapped it around her chest. "Uh. Maybe I could ask if my sister has something in your size?" Robin shook her head. "No, but maybe Maribelle." Chrom nods. "Hey, Robin? Sorry about that." Robin turns to him, as they walk off. "It's not your fault. Don't apologize."

...

Maribelle's clothes did fit Robin, but they were extremely tight, so Robin resorted to simply tying Chrom's cape around her chest, much to his chagrin. Miriel offered one of her robes, but Robin sidetracked her with a discussion on how to channel magic at close range. Chrom, not understanding a word, simply left the room.

"So, soon enough, Miriel, I think I'll be able to cast without using tomes at all." Miriel skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I'm intrigued, but doubtful." Robin huffed. "It's not as hard as you think. I just have to pull the magic from somewhere else. Didn't tomeless casting used to be a thing?" Miriel huffed, mimicking Robin. "It's "Wasn't tomeless casting a thing in the past", to be specific. And yes, eons ago, mages from the continent of Valm, or Valentia were magicians that cast spells using no tomes. However, they channeled their own life force into said spells, so that would be risky indeed." Robin's normally squinting eyes opened a little. "So, it's been done before? Now all I have to do is replicate it." Miriel shook her head. "I can't help with that, but I can find some books on the spells cast without tomes." Robin nods. "Thank you."

...

"Hey, Kellam, got a second?" Kellam turned to Sully, slightly astonished she'd noticed him. "Yes?" The redhead glanced around, trying to find him again, before noticing him in front of her. "I got a bone to pick with you. That last skirmish with the Risen we had, I could tell were covering my back!" Kellam blinked. "What? I'm just trying to hel-" Sully roared, cutting him off. "Knock it the hell off! I'm the one doing all the protecting here, got it? I don't need some shrimpboat in a suit of metal watching over me." Kellam attempted to stammer out a response, but Sully only continued. "You think I need extra protection? That I'm frail and weak? You wanna be my gallant knight, in shining, clunky armor?" Kellam groaned quietly. "I wasn't trying to, I just like protecting people." Sully glared at him. "I'll say it once, now don't you ever pull that crap again. Got it? Good. I got better things to do than yell at you, tin man." With that, Sully strode off. Kellam groaned to himself.

...

Mark sighed, on his third skirmish duty in two days. He'd volunteered for it, but it was still exhausting. His clumsy, power based swordsmanship was nowhere near as good as he wanted it to be. For goodness's sake, he still had to hold the swords in two hands, while Chrom's over in the corner swinging that fancy blade around in one. Mark grumbled to himself, cleaving another Risen in twain before shuffling through the disintegrating remains, on the lookout for droppings. Nobody else seemed to have noticed, but Risen secreted gold bullion, and if you could remove it from their corpses fast enough, it was yours to keep. Mark'd been stashing the gold nonstop, with almost 15,000 in bars saved up. Granted, moving them would be difficult, but he could probably hide them inside something else. He'd been having strange dreams at night, of girls on plains, and of dragons. Actually, multiple dragons.

He had categorized his dreams into approximately 3 types of dreams. The first, he'd dubbed the Dark Dreams. These wavy, almost incomprehensible dreams seemed to be centered on things pertaining to depressing things, as he'd seen things such as Chrom dying, 6 eyed dragons, and other things. The second, he'd dubbed the Advanced dreams. These were far more detailed, but seemed compressed. A recurring girl with a long green ponytail seemed to bounce about through them, and she was a peerless swordswoman. He'd actually tried mimicking some of her moves when he was awake, but he didn't have the skill or speed to pull them off. The final group of dreams was simply assorted brainless subjects, such as invisible warriors, strange buglike creatures being fought with bursts of steam, and the strangest yet: battles where instead of being harmed, warriors were sent flying.

Not that any of that meant anything to Mark. He was busy building experience. Robin clearly had everyone charmed, and he was sick of her taking the spotlight. It felt like everything he did, she not only did worse, but was somehow praised for it specifically because it was her. And he **still** didn't know why she was a complete doppelganger. Excluding the mark on his hand. She didn't have that, and he was curious as to why. But, these were questions for later.

...

Vaike was having a rotten time. He kept trying to talk to Raimi, and she was always telling him to go away. He just wanted to show her a lance he'd found, and he didn't understand why she was so thoroughly repulsed. He figured knights like her liked lances, but evidently not. In any case, he'd decided to try his luck with Miriel. "Hey, Miriel! Check this out!" Miriel looked up from her tomes. "What have you discovered this time, Vaike?" Vaike smiled proudly, unveiling the polearm he'd found. "Check it out! This thing's got a bunch of teeth all around it!" Miriel nodded. "That's what's known as a Beast Killer. It's enchanted to slay horses, or other animals, like pegasi." Vaike grinned. "I found it in the snow." Miriel nods. "Very nice." Vaike then strides off, pretty content.

"He's a lot like an overgrown child." Robin blankly remarks from the other side of the room. Miriel agrees with a quiet hum.

...

The blizzard continued, only growing more furious still. Soon enough, the sleet began coming inside the Longfort, causing everyone to have to scrunch up. By now, Maribelle was bunking with Lissa for good, and neither had come out of the room except for meals, or to patch up stray wounds. The horses, and pegasus had to be moved in further, and everyone: read all the Shepherds were running out of bunk space.

On this particular night, Chrom had trouble sleeping. He tossed and turned all night, and eventually felt someone creeping up on the edge of his bed. Chrom silently reached for Falchion, but the someone turned out to just be Robin. "Hey.. Chrom. I can't sleep. Can you?" Chrom shook his head. "Oh, good. I'm glad I'm not alone in this." Chrom sat up in bed. "What time is it, Robin?" Robin shrugged. "The storm makes it impossible to tell. At least the Risen have been mostly annihilated by the storm by now." Chrom nods, as Robin hops up onto the edge of the bed. "So, what do you want to do?" Robin asked quietly. "I'm not sure, actually." Is Chrom's only response. Robin giggles for a second. "Maybe we could share warmth." She teases. "Gods, Robin, Frederick would be livid." Chrom deadpans. "So, is that a no, Chrom?" The lord blinks, thinking for a second. "Maybe, maybe not..."

...

"Vaike, this is the thirteenth time in ten minutes I've tripped over your axe! Move it!" Sully ordered. "It's not like it's moved at all, just stop walking into it!" Vaike shouted back. In the corner, Sumia was busy reading Frederick's fortune. "I can't believe you had flower petals saved all this time, Sumia." Sumia nodded. "So, Frederick... your fortune reads as follows: Oh goodness, I think I did this wrong again. It says you'll be a cheese, and marry a tramp. Give me a second..." Frederick stifles a laugh. "Oh, is that Frederick? Laughing? I never thought I'd see the day." Sully jeered from across the room, stubbing her toe on Vaike's second axe. "Hush, you!" Sumia calls back, before turning to Frederick. "Alright, now that I've got this right... Your fortune is... what's the deal with this? Eight of ink stamps? These petals are broken... Okay, it says you're probably being too hasty in things." Frederick nods gravely. "I see. Wise advice indeed."

...

Soon enough, the blizzard had died down. The Shepherds packed up their gear, and were ready to go. Mark collected all his gold, and had happened upon a passing red-haired merchant, who he pawned all the gold off for in one go for a reduced price. It was better than carrying it around.

And so, the Shepherds continued to Regna Ferox, only a week slowed.

 _ **End of Snowed In.**_

 _ **(A/N: This chapter has the most words yet. I'm pretty proud of it. It's taking a bit of a different approach, timeskipping over the week the Shepherds spend snowed in. I know I'm omitting what some of the Shepherds do, but it will be mentioned later.)**_


	13. Chapter 4: Two Falchions 12

**(A/N: Testing has kicked me from here clear to the moon. Sorry. I'm going to mostly skim and recap cutscenes that don't differ much from the actual game to save time.)**

 **Two Falchions 1/2**

The blizzard came to a stop just as suddenly as it had started. The howling winds slowly died down, and the sun shone brightly through the fog clouds in the morning. Chrom sighed, enjoying the short peace he had before everyone got moving. He laid back down on his bunk, gently scooting Robin's sleeping form over.

Over the course of that fateful week, being snowed in, the two had grown close in a way words couldn't describe. Most of the cold nights, they'd simply spent together in silence, enjoying each other's company, and now they shared an unbreakable bond, that would be indescribable, if not for the word of "love". Frederick would probably not approve, but it had been a full week since Chrom had given a damn about what Frederick would think. This strange woman he'd found, lying in a field, meant the world to him.

Of course, just because the Shepherds had been mostly snowed in, doesn't mean they neglected their training. Occasionally, Shepherds would venture outside the Longfort when the storm was weakest to thin the numbers of Risen outside, and spent the rest of their time inside training. Robin and Mark had discussed training paths for each of the Shepherds, before pairing each up to mentor the others in their weaker points. Chrom met with Virion, originally for a discussion on tactics after Robin had discovered that Virion was an undisputed master of chess, but instead ended up learning sharpshooting. Sully, Stahl, and Frederick all trained as a group, with Sully focusing on the Ylissean Great Knight techniques, opting for power and durability, and Stahl the Ylissean Paladin techniques, opting for speed and accuracy.

Surprisingly enough, Vaike and Lissa got along well, and Lissa's shocking amount of muscle let her not only swing most of Vaike's axes, but use them with deadly precision as well. When not spending time with Lissa, Maribelle made up with her erstwhile "enemy", Robin, and they each taught each other how to use their corresponding fields. Robin was surprisingly adept with staves, while Maribelle's ability to remember extensive blocks of mundane text thoroughly strengthened her casting ability, to the point where she almost rivaled Miriel. Miriel, as it stands, was poring over the tomes Robin slowly ended up collecting, and began cataloging them. The unidentified fire based tome Robin had possessed for a while was identified as a tome that fashioned a small likeness of a fireball over one's head, and sent it crashing down. This seemed to resemble spells of the distant past, and Miriel began hand copying the pages painstakingly to create more of the tome, dubbing it a Blaze tome.

...

Kellam in the meantime had actually made a new friend. Apparently, Risen weren't the only thing to come through the big gates. Sometimes, people did too, but nobody else seemed to notice. There was this woman that had shown up. She'd been hopeless confused and lost, and was pretty sad all the time. So, he'd shown up and asked her if she was okay. The woman screamed for a second, before eventually calming. Eventually, they'd gotten to talking, and actually had a lot in common.

Kellam's new friend was a knight as well, but a Wyvern Knight to be specific. Kellam hadn't really seen a Wyvern before, hers had come with her through the big portal. Kellam and his friend discussed a few topics, such as techniques, and other knightly things. He eventually asked her what her name was, and she told him. Kellam smiled, and decided to pull Chrom aside later to see if his friend could join.

…

The Shepherds prepared to leave. Chrom hadn't really noticed Kellam constantly trying to get his attention, so Kellam slowly trailed at the back of the Shepherd's line, while his friend trotted alongside on her wyvern. He talked about possibly sprucing up his appearance to be more noticeable.

…

The Shepherds met with the East-Khan. She wasn't in power, but stood a chance to take power if she won the tournament, and offered a deal to Chrom to champion her. Chrom accepted instantly, to Frederick's boundless chagrin. Flavia directed the Shepherds to Arena Ferox, also supplying them with a couple horses for everyone to ride on along the way. Chrom immediately seized the opportunity to begin training in mounted combat, alongside his childhood friend Sully. The Shepherds rode to Arena Ferox, arriving swiftly.

…

"There's so many people." Robin uttered in a hushed tone, as the Shepherds made their way around the spectator entrance to the contestant entrance. Not only were champions participating, but other Feroxians wanted in on a good fight too. Since the Shepherds were championing a Khan, they could skip the qualifiers, but if a participant made their way through all the qualifiers, and defeated both champions on their own, they could choose a Khan to support, or attempt to become a Khan themselves. This led many to join the tournament, knowing that the mother of all bribes would await them, should they secure a khan's position for a khan. The Shepherds idly waited over time, preparing for the fight. Most of the qualifiers were over, and the finals were coming up soon.

…

"Ready, Chrom?" Robin asked quietly. Chrom nodded. "I'm gonna need you by my side, Robin. It's not just an enemy champion, there are multiple sides to this conflict." Robin nodded quietly. "It's gonna be tough. Mark's checked around: the enemy champion is a total new guy. Normally it's a swordsman by the name of Lon'qu, but that appears to have changed last second, and it's some masked figure." Chrom looked at her. "Think it's that guy from the first night the Risen came?" Robin shrugged.

…

The match came. Chrom was going, Robin was going, Mark declared he was going and nobody dared to object. There were 3 more spots open.

"I'm going, clearly." Sully huffed. "No way I'm going to let the Exalted Bloodline be at any more risk." Growled Maribelle. "Hey, that's my rival going out there and risking his hide, it's gonna be me." Vaike grumbled, pointing his thumb at his chest. "Statistically speaking, the probability of an allied success increases exponentially in the situation that I accompany him." Miriel pointed out. "Need I remind you, that taking out enemies from afar would far serve Chrom best?" Virion added.

"That's enough. All of you." Frederick glowered, silencing everyone. He then opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "Hey, Kellam, you and your friend can come with." Robin grinned. Frederick turned to her. "Excuse me, who?" Robin blankly pointed at Kellam, and the blonde accompanying him. "Since when were they here?! Who even are they?!" Frederick exclaimed.

...

 **End of Two Falchions 1/2**

 **(A/N: Hey guys, thanks for sticking with me. I've had a metric ton of tests and crap recently. Here's a little quiz, who's Kellam's new friend? Fans of the series have a 50/50 guess on this.)**


	14. Chapter 4: Two Falchions 22

_**(A/N: Can't wait for summer. I'll be grabbing a job, but updates will probably be more frequent since I'll be able to focus.)**_

 _ **Two Falchions 2/2:**_

The arena roared around the group. Feroxians of every imaginable kind shouted from the seats ringing the battlefield, some beginning chants. The sound was simply deafening, and Chrom could feel his very blood pulsating. He idly drew Falchion from it's sheath, scanning the arena. The forces were laid out, one group in each cardinal direction. The West-Khan's group was laid out directly opposite Flavia's group. To their left, a group of former champions and war veterans milled about. To their right, the champions of the qualifiers stood in an uneasy alliance.

Chrom looked to his tacticians. "Mark. Robin. Who do we focus on?" Robin hummed quietly in thought, before Mark spoke up. "We take on the champions, and hope that the East-Khan's crew takes out the returning competitors. Kellam, your ability to go unnoticed'll be useful here." Kellam perked up. "I want you to scoot over towards the middle of the arena. If the East-Khan's men come at us, I wanna know." Kellam nodded. Mark turned to Kellam's friend. "So, what was your name again? Scarlet, was it? Alright. I want you next to me. Your halberd'll keep away enemies I can't get with my sword." The blonde nodded. Mark turned to Chrom. "Chrom. Stick with Robin. Together, you two are practically unkillable. Now. Let's get to work."

...

"So, where did Kellam meet you?" Mark quietly inquired, moving with the lightly armored knight to deal with the qualifiers. Scarlet looked over. "I... don't know, really. I just found myself in the snow." Mark nodded. "Same here, actually. Just, not in snow, anyways. Do you know anything about yourself?" Scarlet idly thought to herself. "I'm a knight. My homeland was known for flowers, and knights. And I like taking care of my weapons. That's about it, really." Mark nodded once more. The pair approached the group of qualifiers, and battle ensued.

Mark's sword techniques lacked finesse, but their despite the appearance of being inexperienced swipes, Mark threw his body behind each of the clunky movements, lending them a raw power one wouldn't expect. A mercenary attempted to parry his blade, only for Mark to bat it clean out of his hands, while Scarlet leapt over and raked her halberd down his face, and chest, prematurely ending his tournament run with a large gash to the face and a concussion.

With that, Mark leapt forward at a mage, and slammed his sword's pommel into the mage's throat, before turning and awkwardly holding it over his head to block a downward thrust from a lancer. Scarlet lunged forward, cutting the lance in half before jabbing the halberd's end into the lancer's face through his opening on his helm, knocking him down roughly. Mark jumped, pointing his sword down as his leaping stab crushed the life out of the lancer, as Scarlet simultaneously ran the mage through with her halberd.

A handful of mercenaries were left from the qualifiers. Mark stood quietly, wiping his blade on his coat. Scarlet kicked the mage off her halberd with a loud "squelching" sound. The two charged the mercenaries down.

...

Kellam observed the East-Khan's men, unnoticed. Their group had gone for the returning competitors as well as Robin and Chrom, sandwiching the older fighters together. The masked figure was seemingly related to Chrom, as their hair colors were identical, their blades were identical, and their fighting styles extremely similar, with the masked figure's style being a more freewheeling variant of the Exalted style. Kellam moved in closer, his footsteps in his armor being muffled due to it's unique make. His armor had actually been a gift from his home village, and it was completely oversized. To compensate, he stuffed it with cloth in places, and left openings in some of the joints, allowing it to air out and still fit without being too hot to wear. Because of this, it only ever made loud noises if he ran, so while walking, it was utterly silent. He stood to the side, javelin and shield at the ready, in case he needed to intervene.

...

Robin and Chrom tore their way through the older warriors on the left. They'd been fighting so long in tandem, they wordlessly moved in sync. As Chrom extended himself to slash, Robin moved to cover him, and when Robin focused to unleash magic, Chrom instinctively barred their foes from striking at her. A fighter wielding a large axe swung at Chrom, but he easily blocked the weapon, and Robin launched the man clean off his feet with a swipe of her hand and a blade of wind. As they worked their way through the mercenaries, they noticed they were encroaching on the East-Khan's men. The masked figure from before was there, alongside a mage, and a mercenary, but Marth didn't seem to even be remotely interested in working with them. They could hear sounds of combat from across the arena, as Mark and Scarlet cleared out the qualifiers.

...

"Marth" scowled. This wasn't going at all according to plan. Chrom was faring far better than what Marth was expecting. She'd joined the tournament under Basilio, the East-Khan, with the intent of winning him over to help Ylisse without involving any interference. That was why she'd paid off a few bandits to impersonate Chrom and attempt to enter Ferox, hoping it would delay him. Her plan had panned out, and he would've missed the tournament, if it hadn't been for the blizzard. Still, she assumed it meant that if he was there, he was hoping Flavia would support him. She wracked her brain, in the meantime, easily dispatching the older warriors. She'd have to come up with a convenient excuse to get in close with the Shepherds. The strange woman by her father was completely new. She'd never heard of her. And the other blonde woman with the tactician she knew Robin was unrecognizable as well. Additionally, her father was way stronger than what she had been expecting. She mentally steeled herself for a duel with Chrom, as Chrom and the woman took out her one ally, the mercenary that had been hired on by Basilio at the last second, and the Feroxian mage was incapacitated by a stray javelin.

...

Chrom waved Robin to the side. "This Marth figure. I'll duel him, one on one." Robin tilted her head at him. "It'll be fine, Robin. I just need to ask him some questions." Robin nodded, as Chrom strode forward.

...

"So. That blade. Where'd you get it?" Chrom asked, leveling Falchion at Marth. Marth, of course, remained silent. "Fine. Hard way it is." Chrom advanced quickly, slashing low towards Marth's hips. Marth backpedaled out of reach, before twisting and slashing vertically. Chrom braced Falchion for a block, as the two identical blades crashed together. Chrom grimaced, and jumped into the air, performing one of the Exalted style's more flasy manuevers, flipping through the air with sword extended. To everyone's shock, Marth actually blocked the blade, knocking him back skidding on his feet a fair amount, as Chrom landed. Then, everyone's jaws dropped as Marth jumped and performed the same technique, flipping at Chrom. Chrom's blade flashed quickly, parrying the blow as he slipped to the side of Marth, who landed in a crouch. "Who taught you to fight like that.." Chrom growled.

"My father." Marth coldly responded, leveling his own Falchion at Chrom. "Well now, I'll just have to meet him then, won't I?"

...

Marth sheathed Falchion. "Perhaps. Not now, anyways. I need to apologize to the East-Khan. I cannot represent him, and fight you. We'll see if we can't organize a duel between you and his previous champion." Chrom nodded. "Fine, but allow me one question. Who are you?"

Marth turned, thinking quickly. "Your... half-brother." And with that, Marth left.

...

"So. That just happened." Scarlet grumbled, wiping her armor and halberd down. "You just got support for your kingdom, and a new family member?" Chrom shook his head in disbelief. "It doesn't make any sense. Father would've never left Mother. It does explain the fighting style, and the replica of Falchion. But.. I don't believe it." Mark nodded. "Marth seems to be someone focused entirely on staying as mysterious as possible. I think he's just throwing out a red herring here." The group nodded in silence, leaving the arena.

...

The East-Khan was furious, and looked everywhere for Marth, but couldn't find him. Chrom worked out a deal that to make up for it, he'd duel Basilio's champion like Marth suggested, and Basilio grudgingly accepted, at least content that with Marth gone, he wouldn't have to give Ylisse his support if Chrom lost.

 _ **End of Two Falchions 2/2**_

 _ **(A/N: So, the truth comes to light: Kellam's friend is Scarlet from Fates. I just like her. So. She's here now. All the other non-Awakening characters will be from the available Spotpass teams. I'm real sorry for not having updated, but life is being painful right now.)**_


End file.
